THE number of Manchester children studying religious education has soared by 50 per cent in three years. Some 1,460 pupils took full GCSEs in the subject in 2004 compared with 984 in 2001 - despite the city being branded the most godless in Britain over Christmas. The number of children taking a short-course GCSE in RE has risen from 1,360 to 1,701 over the same three-year period. A-level candidates in the subject have tripled from 12 to 38, with 92.1 per cent getting A-C grades. Manchester has a standing advisory council on religious education (SACRE) which receives £5,000 a year from the city council to promote and monitor RE in schools. Ofsted inspections showed every primary school in Manchester met the requirement for a daily act of collective worship. Two unnamed secondary schools and a special school did not. The figures show not just a three-year rise, but a gradual year-on-year increase in RE uptake. Full GCSE entries rose from 984 in both 2001 and 2002 to 1,139 in 2003 before hitting 1,460 last year. The number of short-course GCSE candidates increased from 1,360 to 1,631 in 2002, 1,686 in 2003 and finally 1,701 in 2004. SACRE chairman Tommy Judge said: "We are delighted by the figures. "I think it has a lot to do with how the subject is taught. When I was at school you found out very little about other religions. Now, in Manchester schools, it seems there is a whole new opening up of all the religions. It has become a vibrant, exciting thing for people who want to take it up." Jan Ainsworth, head of education for the Manchester Diocese, said: "The figures reflect how interested a new generation has become in matters of spirituality. "This was recently borne out by our attendance figures which showed that the number of young people going to church is on the rise."